Game Design

I am a professional Game Designer, Narrative Designer, Feature Owner and Writer for DIGIT Game Studios, in Dublin, Ireland.

I completed a HND in Computer Game Design in BCFE (Ballyfermot College of Further Education) in 2006. After a few years writing and working with books, I started my Games career as a QA Tester before working my way up to designing a very ambitious mobile MMO based on a hugely popular sci-fi license.

As a huge fan of board gaming, I've built dozens of card games, board games and prototypes or all shapes and sizes. I live under a pile of cardboard and tiny wooden pieces where I sometimes get to write the stories and books that I'm more well known for.

Videogames credits

2014 - present

Game Designer / Narrative Designer / Feature Owner / Writer

Unannounced Mobile MMO - DIGIT Game Studios

This game - which I can't really talk about yet - has been the most exciting project I've ever worked on. I'm designing it, owning the content, creating stories in a sci-fi setting that I've loved since I was a child and working with an incredible team.

2012 - 2014

QA Lead

Kings of the Realm - DIGIT Game Studios

Kings of the Realm... what a journey that was. This Strategy MMO was a huge project for a really small team. Somehow we managed to make it cross-platform way before its time. It feels like a lifetime ago now, but creating this game at DIGIT was a rollercoaster adventure that I'll never forget.

Bejeweled 3 / Bejeweled HD - Popcap Games

Bejeweled for iOS was an amazing learning experience where I learned just how much work can go into making a simple concept into a surprisingly deep experience. Butterflies mode was my favourite.

Plants vs. Zombies - Popcap Games

Plants vs. Zombies is a tower defense strategy game with a great sense of humour and innovative gameplay. It was a lot of fun to work on this game! If you're still out there, Crazy Dave, keep those plants watered.

Board games

2018

Art of War - Sharpshooter Games

Art of War is an area control card game for 2 players, co-designed with Mark O'Connor and being published in 2018 by Sharpshooter Games as their first game. Players draft an army of troops then deploy them into files to determine the outcome of battles. The game lasts about 30 minutes and has a lot of strategic depth with a small table footprint.

The hastily photographed first prototype build of Art of War. I was so excited to get this playable on the table. Better graphic design coming in the production version in 2018 :)

Some unpublished Board Game prototypes...

Planetary Defence Force Alpha

3 or 4 players work together to defend the Earth from faceless alien invaders. Each player has a hand of 9 cards that they choose from secretly and simultaneously and hope that they add enough strength to overcome the assault on the planet. Despite working together, players also attempt to outwit one another, as the one who provides the lowest value of aid to the battle is the one who wins the spoils of combat. If the aliens succeed, that opportunistic player who tried to commit the fewest troops is the one who pays the penalty!

Video Game Hit Studio

Video Game Hit Studio is a worker-placement board game that plays in 75-90 minutes, where players take on the dual responsibilities of Creative Director and CEO of a Video Game Company. Take that company from the birth of gaming to the modern AAA blockbuster by acquiring Game Designers, Programmers, Server Engineers, UI Designers, Economists, Marketing Experts and Artists to design and develop parody versions of some of the most iconic games in history.

Cubes cubes cubes cubes cubes.

Diametric

Diametric is an 18-card micro game where players must work together without words to uncover what cards are in each other's hands. Use deduction and strategic facedown placement of cards from the deck to unravel the mystery. The game is for 2 players and typically takes 10 minutes to play.

Purge

This tableau building card game deals with the alternate history of Magicians, where modern conveniences are powered by magical energy instead of electricity. Deal with the effects of pollution on the kingdom without losing power to all of the crucial and comforting amenities and try to sabotage other Magicians before they do the same to you. Purge is for 2-5 players and plays in about 30 mins per player.